Finding Their Way Back To Each Other
by doctorroselove
Summary: What if meeting in Journey's End was always a possibility? If time is in flux, is it still possible to believe in fate and is it really possible to have a hand in your own destiny?
1. Chapter 1

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**Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Doctor Who, or the characters. Not the Doctor. Or Rose. Or Jackie. Or even Mickey.**

**A.N**

**_When Rose came back in Turn Left/Journey's End etc, it seemed to raise more questions than it answered. I don't just mean the usual one regarding how she got back but rather how she got to Donna's parallel world, how she found the TARDIS, how much time had passed for her when she returned.. Was the the TARDIS in Turn Left the same as the one she used to travel in? Was the Doctor that died in that universe parallel actually the Doctor or did this all happen in Donna's head? And how did Rose come to know so much about Donna? _**

**_As you can tell the list goes on and on!_**

**_Don't get me wrong, I loved all of Season 4. It's just, the more I thought about it, the more blanks there were to fill in. It also bugged me that we got almost no interaction between Ten and Rose. But just because we didn't see more that doesn't mean there wasn't more._**

**_So, what if Rose and the Doctor always knew meeting in Journey's End was a possibility? What if it were planned? There it was, the question I just couldn't shake._**

**_It's not my wish to completely take back what happened from Doomsday-Journey's End but rather to add to it and offer some more context! _**

**_The story runs parallel (pun intended) to what you have already seen in the show. A lot of what you'll read will be familiar (especially for certain chapters) but I promise I'll make everything new fit in with the CANON stuff somehow! As the story progresses there will be bigger changes as I plan on eventually writing a reunion fic!_**

**_If you have feedback then please offer it. I'm new at this so I'd love to know what you all think. I'll try to keep everyone in character and make the story believable but let me know if I'm messing anything up! _**

**_DoctorRoseLove_**

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"System offline," the automated voice announced.

What?! No! They were so _close_.

She reached out for the lever but it was too far away for her to reach comfortably.

Straining, she glanced across the room and saw her own terror reflected on his face.

"Be careful!" he yelled to her, even though the directive was not necessary. The caution in his eyes had already alerted her long before he had chosen to verbalise it.

They were running out of time. The Daleks were passing by more slowly now. Any second they would hear one cry out "_Exterminate!_" and it would all be over.

She attempted, once more in vain to reach the handle but it was no use. Seeing as there was only centimetres between her and it, there was only one thing to do. It was the only solution they had time to consider.

Centimetres, right. Easy.

Closing her eyes she hurled herself at the lever.

Despite the screech of the wind, she was sure she heard his breathing stop as she took her blind leap of faith. He would _definitely_ disapprove of this latest jeopardy friendly manoeuvre.

Seconds later she felt the crook of her elbow connect with the solid metal pole of the lever, holding her securely in place. Sighing with relief, she used all her strength and started to push it upwards, back into place.

"I've got to get it upright," she called out to him without looking directly at him, aware that he was already watching her every move. The danger wasn't over yet. Her heavy boots started to lift from the ground as she struggled to regain her footing against the intense, deafening wind that surrounded them.

"Online and locked," the system finally informed her.

She'd done it. They had done it! Saved the stinking planet from the Daleks and the Cyberman, once again! She let the adrenaline wash over her as she realised the magnitude of what they had just done. She couldn't resist laughing out loud.

"_Hold on!_" he screamed.

Her eyes met his. She smiled confidently at him, trying to reassure him but his face remained tense. He always worried about her. He'd see, it would all turn out fine, it always did.

_Just a few more seconds_, she told herself. She could already sense the breach was beginning to close. Just a few seconds longer.

The program shifted into it's final phase, going up a gear. The wind suddenly got stronger and both her feet were ripped completely from the ground beneath her.

It was harder to hold on from this angle. With the rest of her body pulling away mid-air, she was left supporting nothing but dead weight. Her fingers began to grow slack against the lever handle as a result of this. If she could just readjust her grip on one hand for a microsecond.. She allowed her numb fingers to stretch, minutely.

And instead found herself falling.

The fierce wind howled around her as she tore through the air.

The reality of the situation started to sink in.

She was being sucked into the Void, without him.

She cried out desperately. His face was both helpless and horrified as he reached out for her. She had never seen him look so afraid.

And she knew exactly why; He couldn't get to her.

It was too late, this was it. The storm they had both known was coming had finally arrived. Hell. She braced herself as she watched him get further and further away.

The Void drew closer.

**oooooo**

Rose Tyler's eyes snapped open as she jerked awake. She couldn't quite seem to shake the sensation of falling. She rolled over, attempting to clear her head. That dream, again. If she closed her eyes, she could still hear him screaming her name.

"_Rose_," whispered through the darkness.

Rose frowned. She must still be disorientated from sleep. He hadn't whispered her name. He had called out for her, louder than the wind that had sucked the Daleks and Cybermen back into the Void. Louder, even, than her own scream as she plummeted to her death.

"_Rose_," she heard, again.

Rose shot up in bed, vaguely aware that her hair was falling over her eyes. She was fully awake now, that much she knew for certain. Brushing the hair back, she scanned her surroundings to check she was alone. A quick look confirmed that she was.

Had she just imagined that voice? _His_ voice? Was she imagining things now? She didn't think her imagination was quite that good. Was she losing her mind and, if she was then why was she not more concerned about that prospect?

Rose rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. She almost felt as if she was being punished for something. It was bad enough she was forced to relive the nightmare every other night. Did she now have to put up with this, too? Was she not stronger than that?

"_Rose,_" the voice called again.

Nope, she decided. Definitely not imagining it. That was his voice. The Doctor's voice. _Her_ Doctor. He had come for her at last.

She flung back her duvet and leapt from the bed, awaiting further instructions.

"_Rose_," she heard.

"Doctor?" she called back, a disbelieving grin breaking across her face. That _brilliant_ man. "I'm here. Oh my.. Can you hear me? I'm right here, Doctor!"

Silence was the only thing that greeted her.

"Doctor, please!" she cried out in a frustrated tone.

"Rose?" she heard from outside her bedroom door. She whirled round. This wasn't the voice she had just been listening for. Although this voice, too, was unmistakeable.

It belonged to Jackie Tyler.

Without warning her mother threw the door open.

"It's 3 A.M, sweetheart. What you shoutin' for? Mickey's convinced there's a bleedin' fire! Wanted to barge in here and save you, he did! I mean, what if you weren't dressed? I told him, I said 'you might have seen it all before but you won't be seein' it again in this universe, sunshine!'"

Only then did Jackie pause to look at her daughter properly. She hadn't seen her smile like that in weeks. At least not since.. Jackie pushed the memories back and gently took Rose by the shoulders.

"What is it, darlin'?" she asked, shaking her slightly.

Her daughter beamed at her and Jackie suddenly knew what was coming. Or rather, _who _Rose thought was coming.

"It's him, Mum. It's really him."

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**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Love**

**xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Doctor Who. I still wish I did.**

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The room was silent by the time Rose had finished speaking. Pete, Jackie and Mickey exchanged glances, wondering who should speak first.

"Are you sure it was even him?" Pete asked carefully, opting to go first in what would inevitably be a long night of questioning. "Cus, I'm not being funny or anything but you haven't exactly been taking care of yourself lately."

He was referring to her most recent behaviour. For the past six weeks she had been coming and going at all hours. She was spending more time at Torchwood than she was at home. On the rare occasion she _was_ home, she'd spend her time either in her room alone or watching the local news, desperate for something dramatic to happen. They all knew why she was behaving so erratically. She was literally_ looking _for trouble, in the hopes of finding the Doctor. To say it concerned them would be understating it.

Rose rolled her eyes at him, appreciating his apparent lack of confidence in her mental state. "It was him, I just know it," she told him.

"I mean, you're the only one who can actually _hear_ his voice." Pete pushed gently. "It could be something else.." he trailed off, awkwardly.

"It could be," she admitted. "But you've seen what he can do. Do you honestly doubt him?"

Pete's eyebrows furrowed. Rose had him there and she knew it. Pete respected the Doctor too much to insult his abilities.

"I guess not," he admitted, at last.

"Well, _I_ do," Jackie interrupted. "It's been weeks, sweetheart. If that really _was_ him, then what's taken him so bleedin' long?"

"Sometimes that's how long it takes," Rose answered simply.

Jackie felt for her. After all, she was all too familiar with the pain that Rose was experiencing. The loss of a loved one was an indescribable hurt but she wouldn't stand idly by and watch her daughter get her hopes up, only to be crushed in the long run. Rose needed to face reality; The Doctor wasn't coming back. Travel between the two Universes was impossible, he had said so himself. The Doctor was a man who relished any chance he got to brag about his vast knowledge. For him to admit he couldn't do something.. Well, Jackie was inclined to believe him.

"He's got a _time machine_, love," she pointed out. "If he really wanted to, what's stopping him from going back an' warning you the day before? From savin' you then?"

Rose sighed. She knew it would be pointless trying to explain these things to Jackie. Why the Doctor couldn't travel back on his own timeline. She could barely understand it herself. What happened at Canary Wharf that day was a fixed point, anyway. If they went back and changed anything, what was to stop the Reapers from re-appearing and consuming everything in sight? She wouldn't let anyone else die for her recklessness.

"He just can't, Mum."

Jackie was dissatisfied the answer, as Rose had known she would be. "What sorta answer is that?" she asked. "I don't even know why you'd wanna go back. If it's an adrenaline thrill you're after, there are plenty of safe ways to do that, right 'ere on _this_ planet!"

Rose was all too familiar with how her mother felt about time travel. Rose thought she was a little hypocritical really. The Universe had given Jackie the ultimate gift, reunited her with someone she had lost, yet she didn't seem to want the same for Rose.

"You don't understand because you've never seen it out there, Mum. It's just incredible. And it's not the adrenaline or the aliens or even saving the planet. It's the feel of new ground beneath your feet. It's breathing new air. It's experiencing new life every time you open those doors. It's running for your life, holdin' his hand."

Rose couldn't deny the truth any longer. "He needs someone to hold his hand, Mum. I need him to hold mine. Only him."

Jackie didn't slow at her daughter's proclamation of love. She continued on, undeterred, "You can travel here! You can do all of that on_ this_ world. Well, I hope not the runnin' for your life part.. Cus that's just madness, that is Rose. Darlin' there's nothin' wrong with living your life here. With us. Without him."

"It's not the same!" Rose said, exasperated. "There's so much more out there. I've tried tellin' you all of this before but I guess I don't know how to say it right. My life is just so much _better _with him. I can't stay here.. It's just not enough for me," she admitted quietly.

"Not _good_ enough, you mean," Mickey spat.

Rose jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. He had been so still she had all but forgotten he was in the room.

"So, what then?" Mickey continued. "If this _does_ turn out to be the Doctor, you're just gonna run off and leave us again? You'd think we'd be used to it by now. Were you even plannin' on saying goodbye this time?"

"You're one to talk," she blurted out without thinking. "You ran off and left me the first time we came here, remember? Travellin' with us one minute and leaving me the next! You wanted a life with the people you love and you could only have that on this world. So don't tell me why I want this! You can't judge me when it wasn't good enough for _you_!"

Mickey looked away, abashed.

Rose was disappointed in herself. That had been uncalled for. She had never meant to hurt Mickey. She considered their time together, both of them had been so young when they'd first started dating. She had only been in one relationship other than him and that hadn't ended too well. After that it had been so comfortable with Mickey that she'd never let herself want anything more. But then she'd met The Doctor and everything she thought she felt for Mickey was turned upside down. She had slowly come to realise that she loved Mickey but she wasn't _in_ love with him.

Rose felt immensely guilty for the cheap shot she had just taken. She knew Mickey had only stayed on this world because _she_ wasn't on it. He was a good guy and he deserved better than what she could offer him.

He was long overdue an apology. She crossed the room, crouching in front of him.

"Mickey?" she tried. He looked over at her with a sullen expression on his face.

"I never said, all these years.. I'm sorry," she told him, honestly.

He sniffed and tried to adopt a tougher exterior. "Yeah, well. Thanks I guess."

But he couldn't help smiling at her. That was one of the best things about Mickey; he didn't hold a grudge. She grinned back at him.

"Will this make you happy, Rose?" Pete asked, seriously. "Is there really nothing else?"

Rose looked at her family in turn, saving Mickey for last. She considered lying to spare their feelings before shaking her head in response.

"Well, then. Tell us what you need," Mickey said.

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**I hope you all like it!**

**Love**

**xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: These get pretty old, pretty fast, don't they? Once again, I do not own Doctor Who or it's characters.**

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She stood facing the Doctor. Finally.

His eyes were focused on the three figures standing by Pete Tyler's Jeep.

"You've still got Mr Mickey, then?" he asked her.

"There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey.. And the baby."

His eyes widened, stunned. "You're not..?" he trailed off, seeming unable to finish his question.

Rose let a long moment pass between them. Then she burst out laughing.

"No, it's Mum. She's three months gone," she explained. "More Tylers on the way."

Together, they glanced over at Rose's somewhat _unconventional_ family unit. Jackie's lips were pursed as she met the Doctor's gaze, looking as if she hadn't ruled out snatching her daughter back and making a run for it. She was a gifted woman, Jackie Tyler. Her concern was evident, even from afar. As was her disapproval.

The Doctor looked back towards Rose, shuddering slightly.

"And what about you?"

"Yeah, I'm back working in the shop," she lied boldly, attempting to keep a straight face.

His mouth turned down slightly at the corners. He tried to disguise it but Rose knew him too well for that, he was disappointed. Did he really think she'd just given up without him? That she wouldn't be trying everything in her power to find him?

"Well, good for you," he said, half-heartedly.

"Shut up," she told him. "No, I'm not. Looks like the Torchwood on this planet is open for business. I reckon I know a thing or two about aliens." She attempted a smile and failed to do so.

"Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth!" The Doctor beamed with pride.

There might have been a time when she would have been immensely proud of this title. This was not that time.

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" she pleaded, her voice breaking. The tears were starting to build in her eyes.

"You _can't_," he said, softly.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same of life old life, last of the Timelords," he joked flatly, neither of them laughing.

"On your own?" she managed to choke out.

He didn't speak. Instead he simply nodded, his eyes conveying what he couldn't say. She couldn't go with him but he wouldn't replace her, either.

Rose opened her mouth and drew the cool air in. This was it. She needed to tell him something.

**oooooo**

She awoke to the sound of the television. She must have nodded off.

The dream had been so _vivid_.

Rose inhaled deeply. She was almost sure she could still smell the sea air, still see him standing there on that long stretch of pale sand. She brought a hand up to her face, convinced she could still feel the breeze whipping her hair in front of it.

_That's weird,_ she thought as she clenched her fist. Her fingers ached, like they had in the dream. But that was from the deep-set cold on the beach, surely? That, or from those stupid fingerless gloves.

It must have just been the way she'd slept.

Mind you.. She hadn't told anyone that she had been accepted for a position at Torchwood. Of course everyone knew she had been spending a lot of time there recently but that was the extent of their knowledge. As far as they knew, she was cooped up in the Control Room, mourning the Doctor.

Her heart grew heavy as she thought of him now.

"_Doctor_," she sighed.

It had been weeks since she had last heard his voice. Rose felt completely helpless without it. Forget Torchwood, what else did she have to go on, if not that? There seemed to be absolutely nothing there to guide her.

Was it possible all she had heard was an echo?

Even though she didn't like to admit it, she was starting to lose faith.

Rose reached over for the remote. Pointing it at the T.V set, she switched it off.

_It was just a dream_, she scolded herself. It couldn't possibly _mean_ anything. It was only natural she'd dream about him, he was so often in her thoughts. Of course she'd want to share it with him that she was working at Torchwood, she felt so guilty over it, given their previous actions.

There was no point in dwelling on it, let alone obsessing over it.

After all, she didn't even own fingerless gloves.

She arose from her chair and was just walking from the living room when a thought occurred to her.

An impossible thought. The most impossible thought.

Jackie, her mother.. _Pregnant_?!

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**Love**

**xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Doctor Who!**

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Rose was surprised to find she was actually _enjoying_ her day off work. It had been a long time since she had done nothing. _Well_, she amended the thought, nothing _and_ ice-cream.

Digging her spoon in for another bite, she heard the doorbell ring. "Don't strain yourself, your Highness. I'll get it," her mother shouted sarcastically.

After a few minutes she could hear Jackie giggling. Rose didn't need to be psychic to know she was flirting with whoever was at the front door.

Eventually the door clicked shut.

"Who was that?" Rose called out to her.

"Oh, wrong address. Was looking for next door. Lovely bloke. Tony, his name was.. That's a nice name, isn't it love? Tony?" Jackie asked her loudly from the hallway. "He's quite handsome too. Dark hair. Gorgeous eyes."

Rose sighed inwardly, glad that her back was turned to her mother. They might be in a different world but it was still the same old Jackie.

"Mum!" she exclaimed, feigning shock. "You're a _married_ _woman_!"

She heard Jackie tut loudly. "I _know_ that. Not for me sweetheart, for you! 'Bout time you started dating again. He's a bit too young for my taste really! Couldn't face it after embarrassing myself with Elton that time.. He had a nice bum, did I ever tell you that? Once he was fixin' under the kitchen sink, right and I swear you could see right down his-"

Having met Elton _and_ Ursula, Rose had heard enough. "Mum, stop!" she interrupted hastily.

"What?" her mum said innocently.

Jackie's voice grew louder now. Rose twisted in her seat, to address her properly. Her jaw dropped.

Her mother was dressed in a fitted black pencil skirt, a lace ivory blouse with a high collar and fishnet stockings. Rose could barely stop her face from conveying the horror she suddenly felt. It wasn't that Jackie didn't look beautiful, she did.

"Where'd you get those clothes?" she said, gaping.

"I found them," Jackie told her, matter of factly. "Do you like 'em?"

Rose wasn't buying the distraction. "What do you mean '_found them_'?" she pressed, her voice thick with implication.

"In a box, upstairs. I was lookin' for.. Oh never you mind what I was lookin' for! Just look at the tailoring on this skirt, like it was made specially for me. Must have been Pete, he's so thoughtful. Do you think it's a present?"

Rose didn't have the heart to tell her _why_ they fitted her so well. She silently hoped Pete would be working late again. She didn't imagine he'd be too pleased to come home to find his current wife in his previous partner's clothing. A deceased partner who happened to look identical to Jackie in every aspect.

"Well if it _is_ a present, he won't be too happy to see you've been sneakin' round in his private business," she said, pretending to scold her.

Jackie looked guilty. "Oh, maybe you're right. I'll put it all back later. Might just run a few errands in them first.. Think I'll have a snack. You want somethin'? Dunno what's happened my appetite, I'm always hungry these days. Bleedin' parallel world!"

Her mother's mention of an increased appetite reminded Rose of a question she had been meaning to ask her. She highly doubted Jackie was oblivious to the possibility of being pregnant.

"Mum," trying to figure out how to word the question delicately, I know this is gonna sound weird, right but you're not p-" she began. She was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening again. Mickey greeted them, smiling.

"Hello, love," Jackie said.

"Alright, Jacks?" Mickey replied. "Rose?"

Rose smiled in return.

"Any post for me?" he asked them.

"No idea. Haven't checked the mailbox today," Rose told him, lazily.

Mickey glanced at Rose. She was still in her dressing gown and slippers. Then he looked at the large clock that hung on the kitchen wall. "It's 4 PM. What you been doing all day, then?"

"Oh, you know.. Important things. Watching television. Sleeping. Mainly just relaxing, really," she informed him cheekily, motioning to her rather large tub of ice-cream. Her tongue poked out from between her teeth as she grinned.

Mickey sighed lightly as he left the room. His mind was racing as he walked down the gravelled driveway to retrieve the mail. Rose didn't even know how difficult she made this for him. When she smiled at him like that, it almost made him believe she wanted to give him another shot. Give _them_ another shot.

The two women were deep in conversation when Mickey reappeared. Their hands were intertwined on the kitchen counter.

"I _am _happy for you. So happy! It would just never work for me, Mum," he heard Rose say sadly.

Mickey felt the need to announce his return. This seemed personal and he didn't want them to think he was eavesdropping. "What would never work?" he joked.

They both jumped at his sudden arrival. "Oh, nothing," Rose replied quickly, waving her spoon in the air. "So was there any post?"

Mickey bit his lip. She obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"Nah, just a loada junk mail. I mean look at this!" he said, brandishing a flyer. "It's for a bloody beach somewhere in _Norway of all places_. As if! Probably be freezing and.." he trailed off.

Rose was staring at the leaflet in his hand. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. Her hand twitched, as if she was trying to reach out for it but couldn't move. Mickey crossed the kitchen and handed it to her.

Her eyes scrutinized the image on the page intensely. She looked up at the others and gulped. Her breathing had become incredibly shallow.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Jackie asked. She too had noticed the sudden change in her daughter's mood.

"Darlig Ulv Stranden," Rose said simply. As if that explained everything. Because, to her, it did. This was it. The sign she had long been waiting for.

She knew where they had to go.

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**This is it guys! It all kicks off after this..**

**Until next time! **

**Love**

**xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who or the rights to any of it's characters, I would not be here desperately trying to re-write something that aired eight years ago.**

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Rose walked down the familiar stretch of beach, trying to remember whereabouts she had met him in that dream. She glanced back, measuring the distance between her and her family. It seemed about right.

She looked around, momentarily worried. What if she had gotten it wrong? Travel between parallel worlds was impossible after all.

_No_, she told herself. _This is the place_.

Besides, she liked impossible. She turned to the right, looking for a sign.

And, all of a sudden, he was there.

** ooooo**

He stood before her, at last. Only it wasn't him. Not as she needed him. He wasn't even here, not really. He looked like a hologram.

"Where are you?" she asked his faded form. Rose knew she was failing to keep the devastation from her face.

"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny, little gap left in the Universe, just about to close. It takes a lot of power to send this projection, I'm in orbit around a supernova," he paused briefly to smile at her half-heartedly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

"You look like a ghost!" she spluttered.

"Hold on," he said, frowning. He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the TARDIS console and his image immediately solidified in front of her.

Rose wanted him so badly to be here. Stepping toward him, she raised a hand to his face. "Can I t-?"

The Doctor's eyes grew sadder as he realised what she was attempting to do. He shook his head. "I'm still just an image," he said. "Don't touch."

"Can't you come through properly?" she pleaded, although she already knew what the answer would be.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two Universes would collapse," he stated, softly.

"So?" Rose asked.

The Doctor laughed freely for a moment. She always said the last thing he expected. Rose allowed herself a genuine smile, too.

Then a thought dawned on her.

"Hang on, if you can't come through here, how am I supposed to get back with you?"

His smile slowly faded. "You can't," he replied simply.

"Yeah, I guess I already knew that. You said as much in that dream.. What was that, by the way, telepathy or somethin'?"

He stood there for a moment, perplexed. "Dream?" he asked. "Telepathy? I haven't done anything like that, Rose. How could I?"

"But I _saw_ this," she said. "Well not this exactly.."

The Doctor stared at her. He clearly wanted her to elaborate.

So Rose told him everything she could think of. About her dreams. And her nightmares. How she had known Jackie was pregnant before she had been told. How she had already known they would be meeting on a beach, even without his voice to guide her there. Why she had known that she wasn't going to be leaving here with him, after all.

By the time she had finished explaining, he was staring at her, mouth ajar.

"Oh," he said, evidently astonished. He stayed silent for a moment, processing what she had just told him. It was then that he noticed his surroundings. "Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" he wondered aloud.

"We're in Norway," she informed him.

"Norway, right," he nodded coolly, trying to make out like that had been his plan all along. Rose was tempted to laugh. This was so typical! Luckily for him he hadn't shown up six hours earlier, in time to see _Jackie's_ reaction to arriving in Norway. Parallel world or not, she'd been fit to _smack_ him. She had been trying to blame her latest outbursts on her hormones but Rose knew better. Any excuse to dish out a Tyler slap to the man who had taken her daughter from her.

"We're about fifty miles outside of Bergen," she continued, knowing he didn't have the faintest clue where they really were. "It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?" he said, panicking.

"Dar_lig_," she corrected. "It's Norwegian for bad." Rose couldn't resist the disbelieving laugh that escaped from her lips now. He raised his eyebrows at her in question and she shook her head in return. "This translates as Bad Wolf Bay!"

The Doctor's eyes widened. Rose wondered why he, too, wasn't laughing at the hideous irony of their situation.

"_Oh_," he suddenly shouted, "_but that's it_!"

Rose blinked in surprise. This had never happened in any of her dreams. "What's it?"

"Oh, it's so simple! Too simple! Really, very simple.. _Genius_, in fact! Rose Tyler.. Yes!"

She would be worried for his mental state, if he wasn't always so incoherent. She patiently waited for him to remember she was human. The Doctor quickly noticed her expression and explained himself.

"Don't you see? You.. Bad Wolf! Back on the Game Station, when you had the power of the Vortex running through your head, you took those two words and scattered them throughout time and space. Always in places you knew we'd be.. Always giving yourself a way to lead yourself back to me! You would never have put them here unless they _needed_ to be here! You saw this coming, Rose. Of course you did, you saw everything. You told me.. All that ever was. All that ever could be." He paused to run his hand through his hair. The movement made it stand on end. "Oh, I'm getting too old. I should have spotted it sooner. I get too distracted with saving planets that I overlook the small things. It's _never_ just a coincidence, never!"

"Doctor? What's going on?" she begged, her lips dry and her heart suddenly pounding.

"The breach isn't sealed, Rose. Not fully. There's the tiniest fissure of power seeping through. The power of the raw Vortex! Bad Wolf. Two single words in a universe they never should never have existed at all. _You_, Rose Tyler, are keeping Pete's World connected to your world. ..And _that's_ why you're able to dream within alternate realities!"

He finally paused and grinned manically at her. His hair was sticking up at every angle. Rose automatically reached up to flatten it before remembering at the last second that she couldn't touch him.

His eyes widened at her movement. "Your hair's a bit mad," she told him.

"Oh, thanks," he replied, raising his hand to tame it.

Rose took this brief moment to process what he had just told her. Hundreds of questions were running simultaneously through her head. She opted for the most important one. "So, if I'm keeping the breach open.. Does that mean that I can come back?" she asked, hardly daring to breathe.

The animation drained from his face, instantly. He sagged. "No," he said. "Not yet."

_Yet_? "Well, when then?"

"It's not that simple," he explained. "The breach is alive but not _active_. It could still go either way. It's too dangerous to risk anything right now. It's dormant. If we left it alone, it would close itself off, naturally. But if it we stretched it out now it would become _too_ large. Anything could force it's way through. Not just Cybermen and Daleks but entire _worlds_ and populations. New species. Bringing with them new beliefs and weapons. And old wars."

"So what do we do?" she wondered.

"There is a way," he admitted. Regret burned deep in his eyes. "It's up to you, Rose. Your choice."

He drew a deep intake of air before continuing. "The Torchwood on this planet has got the technology to erase your memory. All the time you spent with me. Every trace of us, everywhere we went, everything we did, forgotten."

Rose must have misheard him. "Forget about you? 'Bout us? Why would I wanna do that?"

"Because it won't _hurt_. Think about it. You could forget about all of it. Live a normal, human life with the family you've always wanted. A world where Pete Tyler is still alive. Where he's happily married to Jackie Tyler. His daft plans worked out and they're wealthy. You would never want for anything. You could have a normal, human life. A stable and happy relationship. Marriage and kids. Living in a house with a roof and a mortgage.. One adventure I can never have." he finished sincerely.

She knew exactly what the Doctor was doing. He was pushing her away. Again. Just like he had on the Game Station. Exactly like Torchwood. Whenever he got scared for her safety, he sent her away. He thought just because he was a Time Lord that he was capable of making decisions for everybody. It was so frustrating!

Her insides twisted. Had he not been listening when she had told him forever? Did he really not know her at all?

"Yeah, right. Me.. Normal," she scoffed, trying to make light of his suggestion. "Like _that's_ gonna happen! What's option two?"

"Rose," he began.

"Doctor, shut up" she said, shortly. "I'll decide this one for myself, ta. Now tell me. What is option two?"

He closed his eyes now, as if _he_ were the one in pain. "The energy from the breach is feeding on the strongest power source it can find within a close range. Memories. Real or fiction. Your dreams, or _nightmares_ rather, are all loosely based on your memories. Memories that contain all of space and time. _That's_ what is stretching the gap between this reality and mine. We need to force it wider, but just enough so you can pass back through, unnoticed. I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry. But you wouldn't be able to forget it. Any of it. You'd have to re-live the most painful of your memories, your worst fears and your biggest regrets, every night, just to keep the breach active. Even then, it might not be enough."

Rose didn't have the heart to tell him that she already was living a nightmare without him.

His brown eyes opened and he stared intensely into her own, measuring her reaction.

"For how long?"

"Time progresses differently in this Universe. About two years, I think."

Two _years_? Rose felt her entire body slump in defeat. Two whole years in this world?

The air seemed to grow colder, bringing her crashing back to reality. "How long have we got?" she asked him, sadly.

"About two minutes," he told her, gravely.

"I can't think of what to say," she admitted lamely. The Doctor laughed at her human response.

Rose contemplated a life without the Doctor. Without the TARDIS. Without holding his hand and running for her life. She tried to imagine never again seeing his enigmatic grin light up a room. Her heart tightened at the prospect.

In exchange she would have to endure two years on this earth. Two years of normality. Of boredom. Two more years of her nightmares.

Or she could erase it. Forget the constant pain she had felt for the past three months. Forget the contrast between the cool touch of his hand and warm beam of his smile. Forget what it was like to get lost in the depths of his ancient eyes. Forget what it was like to be consumed by love for a being who she couldn't have a normal future with. Not ever.

And then she decided.

"I'll do it," she told him.

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it and closed it again. He stared at her and for once in his nine hundred years, words failed him.

Then he realised he was wasting time. The one time he couldn't turn it back.

"Soon the Torchwood on this planet should begin work on something called a dimension cannon," he told her quickly now. "You'll need to be there, be involved with it. That will be the device that will spring you from this world, back into mine. You'll know when it's ready. You should be classed as a contaminate and this reality will start to force you out, via the breach. I can't say more, there's no time. I wish I could. I'm sorry."

She nodded. She, too, could feel their time here was ending. There was still something she needed to tell him. Something important. She opened her mouth, wondering where to even begin.

"I-I-" she stammered. Rose suddenly felt very insignificant. Realising that it might be now or never, she inhaled deeply, trying to muster the courage. All the things she had seen over the past couple of years and she was scared of three little words.

_Sod it, _she thought. She had destroyed the Emperor of the Daleks, had watched her father die, she could manage to tell one bloody Time Lord how she felt. She gathered her composure and looked him directly in the eye.

"I love you."

Rose was struck by how empty her voice sounded. She had spoken with a fierce conviction but it had come out sounding more like an echo. She knew it was just a matter of seconds now before they were separated once more.

A long moment seemed to pass them by. His brown eyes shone with understanding and she knew he felt the same way. In a way she had always known.

"Quite right, too," he said finally, smiling. "And, I suppose.. If it's my last chance to say it.."

The Doctor paused with the significance of this one single moment, weighing the foreign words on his tongue.

"Rose Tyler, I-"

And with that he faded out of her existence.

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**A/N**

**I'm so sorry that I had to do that with the ending!**

**There were just so many reasons that the actual ending of Doomsday was so heart-wrenching. One of those reasons was that The Doctor never got the chance to tell Rose how he felt. I thought it was important for his story that he live with that regret until they meet again. That scene was just so powerful, I didn't want to do anything to take away from it.**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Love**

**xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, or any of these characters.**

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"Mum, you don't even work here. You shouldn't even be getting a vote!"

"Like heck I don't! We're talkin' about your safety, ain't we? Well, I'm your mother. That makes me the most qualified person in this room, I reckon. And I'm telling you it's too dangerous, love. Please will you just listen to me? Just this once?" Jackie pleaded.

Mickey was nodding his head in agreement. "She's right, Rose. You don't even know if this will work. What if it doesn't? What happens to you then? What if you got hurt.. Or worse! You could be split in half or somethin'!"

"I don't understand why you can't let someone else test the stupid thing!" Jackie put in.

"You think I'm going to let someone else risk their life for me? Say it works and someone else gets stuck in another universe? What if it only works once and I never get to use it? What do I do then?"

"It's too big a risk to take, why can't you see it?" Mickey was practically shouting with frustration.

"Then that would be my risk to take, Mickey. My choice."

"Well, maybe it shouldn't be," he said quietly.

"What did you say?"

"I said it _shouldn't_ be your choice. Not exactly like you've got good judgement when it comes to the Doctor. You just do whatever he tells you to do. Then he just runs off and leaves everyone else to clean up after him! Remember the time he told you to wait while he ran off and _popped_ Madame de Pompador?"

Rose recoiled as if she'd been slapped. She had called them all together to vote on whether she should be the one to test the dimension cannon when it was ready. She wanted to hear their thoughts on it. But this was going too far.

"That's enough, Mickey," Pete interjected sharply.

Arguments always had a way of turning personal with Mickey. She knew it was only because he cared. He didn't want her to get hurt, physically or emotionally. Unfortunately, when it came to Rose, he had his own biases. He wanted her to stay on this world for his own reasons. He couldn't seem to accept it was over between them and it was making things difficult.

"Let's just put it down to a vote, shall we?" she asked, trying to keep her cool. Not that she cared what the results would be. She would be using the cannon one way or the other.

She addressed the room now. "Everyone who is against this, raise your hand," she instructed.

Mickey's hand shot up. It was quickly followed by Jackie's. Including the two other Torchwood members who voted, the final opposing vote was four.

"All those in favour of me doing this?"

Rose raised her own hand defiantly as she voiced the question. One hand went up. Then another. Jake momentarily met Mickey's gaze before dropping his eyes to the ground. Slowly he too raised his hand.

There was only one person in the room who had yet to cast a vote. Eight pairs of eyes were fixed on Pete Tyler. He was staring intently at Jackie. Rose saw him silently mouth an apology to his wife before lifting his own hand.

"That makes it five to four. The motion passes," Pete announced dully to no-one in particular.

There was barely time to register the betrayal on Jackie's face before she stormed out of the room. "She's your daughter," she spat at Pete as she left.

Silence hung in the air in her wake.

Fighting to keep back the tears, Rose turned to face Pete. Jackie was right. She counted this man as her father in every way that mattered. She was incredibly touched by what he had just done for her. "Thank you," she managed to choke out.

"That's alright, love. She'll understand someday. Might even forgive me!" His expression turned serious now. "I'd do the same thing if it was her lost out there. Find him, Rose."

"I'm gonna try, Dad." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

A blush crept across Pete's face. He cleared his throat. "Right, I'd better go and find her before she makes me sleep in the car again. My back can't take much more! All I did last time was forget to pick up the milk.. Four hours shoutin' on my own doorstep! Ridiculous! I'll see you at home."

One by one the others in the room began to file out. Jake paused briefly to squeeze Rose's shoulder in support before pushing past Mickey.

"Thanks Jake," she called after him. Then she turned to face Mickey.

"Jake only agreed with you 'cos he wants to shag you," he told her petulantly.

A hysterical giggle burst through her lips at the sheer notion of it. It was just impossible to stay angry at Mickey. "Trust me, I'm not his type," she informed him.

"What's his problem with me anyway?" Mickey wanted to know.

Rose knew exactly what Jake's deal was. You could see it from space! Everyone knew the what the nature of Jake's relationship with Ricky had been. It was clear as day that he was now falling for Mickey. Obvious to everybody except Mickey, it seemed.

Nevertheless, it wasn't her place to say. Rose shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't ask me."

He studied her face for a long moment. He could tell she knew more than she was letting on.

"I'm not telling you Mick! Have you tried.. Oh I dunno, _asking_ him?"

"I've tried! He just gets defensive. Says it's nothin'. Everything's fine and then a couple of days later I catch him starin' at me and he gets all funny again. Out of nowhere! I don't know, Rose. He's just so bloody changeable lately!"

Rose said nothing. She simply shook her head. Mickey truly could be oblivious sometimes.

_Mickey the idiot_, she thought to herself. A northern accent stained the words as they formed in her head.

The memory made her smile. It had been a while since she had thought about this version of the Doctor. Rose felt guilty as she pictured him in his crew neck jumper and oversized leather jacket. She should remember him more often, really. This was the man she had originally fallen for. The same man who had taken her hand in that basement all those years ago. A complete stranger with the daft grin who had told her to run. She had put her trust in his hands so easily. She had run with him and never looked back.

No, she had never regretted it. She trusted him. Even when he changed his face. Every time he had sent her away. Even when he ran off to be with Reinette without so much as a backwards glance. Rose felt her heart twisting. It still hurt to think about that. They had never talked about it. Rose wasn't sure she wanted to know. True, they had both made mistakes but Rose couldn't find it in herself to regret her decision to go with him that night.

It had been almost two and a half years since she had last seen him. There had been no further contact between them. Sure, they were all working on the dimension cannon but it was hard to know when it would be ready, if ever. None of them had anything tangiable to go on. Rose felt like screaming. She was basing her life on something a projection told her over two years ago. An _alien_ projection. She was working on little more than blind faith. Faith, hope and love. And nightmares. She was still having the nightmares. The Doctor had told her they would continue. Surely this meant that everything was going according to plan?

"Rose?" she heard Mickey ask in the distance. He clicked his fingers in front of her face, trying to get her attention.

Rose blinked several times, attempting to clear her thoughts. It was no use. No matter what she did the Doctor was always in her head.

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**Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Until next time!**

**xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. If only.**

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Rose Tyler was pacing the length of her Torchwood office. A frown was etched on her face. She glanced at her watch for the third time in two minutes, sighing. She was supposed to be in UNIT headquarters right now. There had been a cannon jump scheduled for an hour ago but she had failed to show up. She had called Sergeant Delaney and made her excuses but the truth was Rose couldn't face another disappointment. Not today.

For months it had been one disaster after another. Parallel world after parallel world, all of them wrong. Sure, these worlds had things in common with her version of earth but they just felt _off_ somehow. The jumps were becoming riskier, too. Last week she had landed slap bang in the middle of a military testing ground. She had spent the day being interrogated by army personnel. Eventually the shift had ended and she had been pulled back but it wasn't the most pleasant of days.. Three weeks previously she had found herself on a private estate being chased by a dozen viscous hounds. Climbing wire fences or sitting in a cell didn't exactly contribute to her search for the Doctor.

Time was, Rose thought wryly, that being hauled up in a jail cell used to be fun. Back when she had him for company. Then again, she couldn't imagine there was anywhere in the whole of creation that she wouldn't enjoy just _being_ with him.

Rose came to rest and sat perched on top of her desk, letting her legs swing freely off the edge. The TARDIS key hung on a chain around her neck. She had taken to wearing it there again, close to her heart. She tucked the key out from underneath her shirt now and held it in her palm. It was stone cold to the touch.

It had been three years to the day since she'd last seen the Doctor. Three years instead of the two he had promised her and Rose had felt every minute of it. She wondered if it had seemed as long for him. She doubted it. The TARDIS kept shifts of night and day but with all the travelling, it was impossible to keep track of linear time there. He could have easily taken a quick trip into the future in order to find her.. He always did hate waiting.

The telephone behind her rang, pulling Rose from her thoughts. She glanced at the caller ID before answering. It was Jake.

"Hiya Rose! There's a Seargant Delaney here to see you. And Ange wants a quick word?"

"Thanks Jake. Send them both up."

The elevator chimed and the two women emerged. Angela Morris was babbling at top speed. Sergeant Delaney had a pained look on her expression. Rose could only imagine how awkward the elevator ride up had been. They really were chalk and cheese. The only thing that made the young Agent Morris identifiable as a member of Torchwood staff was the white lab coat and swipe card that hung from her neck. Sergeant Delaney, however, seemed to embody her UNIT uniform. Everything about the woman said _disciplined_ whereas everything about Angela said _chaos_.

"Agent Tyler," Sergeant Delaney said formally, saluting her.

"Stop it," Rose warned fondly. She liked the woman but hated the saluting. She gestured to Angela, "I see you two met downstairs."

"We did," Delaney confirmed with a curt nod. "I hope you've recovered from your recent case of food poisoning, Miss Tyler."

"I have. False alarm! I didn't want to risk jumping with a dodgy stomach. It's not too comfortable at the best of times, you know?"

Delaney held a level gaze the entire time and Rose knew that she wasn't fooling anyone. Delaney barely skipped a beat before asking, "have you lost your motivation, Agent?"

"What? No, not at all!" Rose replied hastily.

"Good. You need to remain committed to this. We'll get a lot more work done if we're focused. If you're losing interest then I'll need to know."

"I'm not saying that! There's just gotta be some other way that isn't so dangerous. I need to be able to go about my business in peace. You know, without fear of getting locked up for being a space hopping nutter? I can't keep drawing attention to myself. People are gonna cop it sooner or later!"

"You don't have to keep doing this, Rose," Angela pointed out softly.

"That's where you're wrong. I _need_ to do this, Ange. There's just gotta be better way of mapping the co-ordinates more precisely. I can't keep landing in the middle of trouble. It's going to get us noticed. Or get me hurt. I wanna get back to the Doctor in one piece is all!"

"You may be working with some of the finest minds in the world, Miss Tyler but that doesn't mean any of us have any real experience with anything on this scale. This device is unique. We exhausted every mean for two years just to get you on the correct planet. We have done as much as we can do. The rest is up to you."

Rose felt defeated. So much for that. "I'm sorry. You're all working very hard and you're doing a fantastic job. I'm grateful, I really am. It's just.. The Doctor told me so many times that something was impossible yet here we are. Through trial and error. And perseverance. It's incredible. You're all just so brilliant. I know he'd agree with me. I just need to know that I've tried everything before I give up."

Sergeant Delaney looked more approachable when she next spoke. "You have my word Agent Tyler. We are doing everything in our power to assist you. However you'll need to accept that some things are still too advanced for this world."

Rose considered this. "Okay. So that's a _no_ to a more exact landing. So is there any way to make landing more discreet? Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get an alleyway but most of the time it's in the middle of the day. People don't half get a fright when they see me charging at 'em!"

"I can check it out, Rose but I don't think that's possible," Morris admitted, looking down at her feet.

"Blimey. If only I was invisible, this would all be a whole lot easier, right?" Rose joked.

Angela looked up with an audible gasp. Delaney looked at her once to convey her annoyance and proceeded to ignore the interruption.

"As I was just saying, we will have someone look into it but you should be prepared to be disappointed on these matters. In the meantime you can't be missing shifts. It's costing us time and resources."

Angela was starting to fidget impatiently. It was quite distracting.

"Ange? You need the loo or something?" Rose prompted.

"Loo? What? No, I was thinking about what you said earlier. Your problem? Well, what if it's not such a problem? I mean I might have a solution. Will you come with me?"

Sergeant Delaney looked across at Rose who shrugged. She hopped off the desk and raised a hand to Angela.

"Lead the way, Agent."

**oooooo**

The Torchwood offices were based on seniority within the company. Rose's own office was on the top floor. Angela's office was located on the floor directly below. She swiped her pass key and the door opened. She continued chatting as she crossed the room and started to rummage in her desk drawer.

"What if it's not about being invisible as such? It's just about not being _visible_, right?"

Rose felt her head start to spin as she attempted to follow Angela's logic. At times like this it was always better to pretend she was keeping up, that much she had learned from her time with the Doctor. "Um, okay?"

"Well then I think I have just the thing! If only I could find it.." Angela closed the current drawer and moved on to the next one. She rooted for a moment under various take-out menus and finally retrieved the item she was searching for. In her hand, she held a tarnished bronze ring. In Rose's opinion it had seen better days. Though, judging by the look on Angela's face, it might as well have been the winning lottery ticket.

"I don't think I said I had a fashion emergency Ange," Rose said, laughing.

"Fashion? Oh, no! Just watch. It's pretty self explanatory." And with that she slipped the ring onto her index finger.

Instantly, Rose felt her eyes wander. She scolded herself. She was supposed to be focusing on whatever Angela was trying to show her yet she couldn't seem to keep her focus. She forced her eyes back to the spot where Ange was standing but they soon drifted off to the right. Rose tried once more, in vain, to focus on Agent Morris but it was no good. Looking at her just felt _wrong_.

She saw Delaney rubbing her own eyes, as if to try dislodge something. "You too, huh?" she asked her. Delaney shook her head slightly and then nodded. It took a lot to unnerve Sergeant Delaney. Whatever this thing was, Rose was impressed. She had seen enough.

"Okay Ange, you can take it off now." Angela took off the ring. Rose felt better already.

"What exactly is that?"

"Isn't it great? I found it years ago. Back when I first started working here. I noticed that people were ignoring me whenever I was wearing it. But it's more than that because they weren't ignoring me intentionally. They could see me if they tried to. But it doesn't make you invisible, either. It just alters a person's _perception_ of your visibility is all," she told them proudly.

"What, like a perception filter? Sergeant Delaney asked, still looking a little shaken.

"Perception filter, that's it!" Rose exclaimed. "Good one Sarge!"

The sergeant hated Rose's nickname for her. The distaste was evident on her face.

"This is perfect," Rose said, beaming at Morris. It wasn't what she had been hoping for but Rose could feel the flutter of possibility in her stomach. This would help her get one step closer to the Doctor. She turned to address Sergeant Delaney.

"Sergeant? I think I'm ready for that shift now."

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**Another chapter down!**

**I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the time to read/review my story so far. I'm having a great time writing it so I hope you're enjoying reading it!**

**Much love.**

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: No, Doctor who is still not mine. Yes, I'm still wishing.**

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Jackie sauntered into the Tyler's living room. "Right, you two. I'm off to the salon. The caterering company will be arriving at six. I want you both here for seven."

Pete and Rose groaned simultaneously. "Jacks, why are we bothering to go through with this charade again?" Pete asked his wife. "Everybody already knows it's a lie!"

Jackie was insisting on throwing him a fortieth birthday party, despite the fact that Pete hadn't actually _been_ forty in years. But since Jackie was still lying about her age and refused to let people think she was married to an older man, Pete had been roped into keeping up the lie.

"They know no such thing," Jackie retorted. "We have a bleedin' image to maintain, Pete. Which is why you'll all be dressed smartly. Rose, can you help Tony pick out something nice to wear when he wakes up from his nap?"

"I can't, Mum," Rose told her. "I've got another jump at five o clock."

"Oh, what do you mean another one? That's your second one today!" Jackie exclaimed. "I hope they're payin' you for all this overtime."

"It's not work, Mum. The jump will only last a couple of hours, max. I'll be coming here straight after so I won't have time to get all dressed up," Rose informed her.

"And I'd rather just go to the pub for a quiet pint," Pete began hopefully.

Jackie cut him off with a withering look. "You will be here, _both_ of you. Not at UNIT and _not_ at the pub. And you will both make an effort by wearing something nice. That clear?"

Rose sighed in defeat. It didn't appear that they had any say in the matter. Taking their silence as agreement, Jackie smile was a satisfied one as she left the room.

"Another jump, eh? How's it all going, love?" Pete asked her as soon as they were alone.

"Just more of the same," she told him gravely. "Another wrong planet. More problems. Even less stars. By far the worst I've seen so far, Dad." Her voice wavered as she recalled it. "There was just nothing. No hope. No joy. Just fear and despair and the never ending darkness as far as the eye could see. They kept reaching out for someone to help them and I just walked past. They couldn't see me but I could still see them! There was just nothing I could do." Tears pricked her eyes.

Pete was listening intently. "The perception filter is still working then, I take it?"

She nodded. "Unless I do something stupid to draw attention to myself, I can go by completely unnoticed. That won't stop the Darkness from coming here though, will it? What do we do then?"

Pete had no answer. Rose had expected as much.

"The Doctor would know what to do. If I could just _find_ him, Dad. It's been over three years now. I've done everything he told me to do with Torchwood and the canon. I'm still having those dreams every night and still nothing! I can't even get to the right _dimension_! Where is he? He should be here because I can't get there and I don't know what else I can do.."

Rose let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The tears overflowed and splashed onto her cheeks. Pete gently took her by the forearms before enveloping her in a hug. He soothed her until her sobbing subsided.

After a few moments Rose felt the sobs pass. She pulled back from Pete's chest and was alarmed to see two black stains on the front of his clean shirt. Wiping her eyes, she soon discovered her mascara was the culprit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've only gone and ruined your new shirt.." Rose trailed off as she took a closer look at this shirt.

Usually Pete Tyler was very well dressed in dark suits and collared shirts. Today however, that could not be said about him. For some reason, he was wearing a button down shirt in a peculiar shade of salmon. Between his hair colouring and pale complexion, it wasn't exactly doing him any favours.

Pete wrinkled his nose in response. "I'd say it was ruined to begin with."

Rose raised an eyebrow curiously. "Your mother bought it," he explained. "Apparently it keeps me looking forty.. Which is complete bollox because I'm not sodding forty! Honestly, every year this bloody façade of hers!" He tugged briefly at the collar. "A shirt I can manage but if she even _asks_ me to consider getting work done I'm using that cannon of yours to get as far away as possible!"

Rose giggled as she glanced at her watch. "I'd better head off," she told him. "I'll see you tonight then."

"Good luck with the jump," he replied.

"Thanks Dad," she told him.

"For what?" Pete wanted to know.

"Just.. Thanks."

Pete blushed a deep red. Rose had thought the shirt couldn't get any worse. She was wrong.

"You will show up tonight, won't you? I can't face your Mum if you don't!"

Rose stuck her thumb up at him like she had done when they'd first met. "You can trust me," she reminded him.

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**That's another chapter done guys. Just a short one this time.. Sorry about any spelling mistakes, I just raced through it!**

**Hope you all liked it!**

**xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Does it need saying? Yes, it does. I do not own Doctor Who.**

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The party was in full swing by the time Rose returned home that evening.

She easily identified her mother in the centre of the room, lapping up the attention she was getting for her choice of attire. Tonight, she was wearing a slinky black floor-length number with a dipped back and fishtail skirt. She looked stunning. Rose watched her work her way around the room with confidence. She was proud. Jackie really had adapted to Pete's lifestyle seamlessly. She had everything she had ever wanted out of life. It made Rose feel better about the prospect of eventually leaving her.

She bounded up to her mother happily, eager to congratulate her on having such a successful party. Rose was in such a hurry she came to a halt just inches from Jackie's face.

"Hiya Mum! Seems like a great party," she said brightly.

There was no response from Jackie. Rose quickly checked her hands to make sure she had taken off the perception filter. Her fingers were bare.

She waved a hand directly in front of Jackie's face. "Hello? Mum?"

Recognition flickered across Jackie's features. "_Rose_! There you are! Better late than never." She looked her daughter up and down. "Why haven't you changed? Quickly, run upstairs and put something decent on."

"I just wanted to tell you-" Rose started but Jackie was staring right through her again. Her mother had always had her moments but this was absurd. It was as if she couldn't even see her. Rose opened her mouth to try again but Jackie was already calling out a greeting to a woman across the room.

She was just stressed from all the party planning, Rose told herself firmly. There was nothing else it could be. The least she could do was go and put on something more formal. Her mother would never intentionally ignore her. Rose smiled. She had a dress in her wardrobe that would ensure all eyes would be on her.

She was just heading towards her room when she came across a familiar figure on the stairs. Her alternate-father. Pete Tyler looked fed up.

"Hi Dad," she greeted him.

"Rose," Pete looked relieved at the sheer sight of her. "Am I glad to see you!"

At least _he_ noticed her, Rose thought to herself. "Having fun then?" she asked him sarcastically.

"I miss the Cybermen," he replied with a dry laugh. "How was your cannon jump?"

Rose beamed just thinking about it. "Fantastic! Really, really good. Guess where I landed, Dad?"

Pete's eyes widened. He understood exactly what she was telling him. "_Earth_?" he said, in a disbelieving tone before breaking into an impressed smile.

She nodded fervently. "I'm pretty sure of it. Slap bang in the middle of an invasion an' all! You should have seen it. People had been taking these capsules, right? These miracle pills for losing weight. But they must've been alien because the people who had taken them were literally being torn apart and the excess fat was turning into creatures and walking off down the street! They were actually really cute too- "

Rose slowed down as soon as she realised Pete had no idea what she was talking about. Talking at such a speed was a habit she had picked up from the Doctor.

She rearranged her thoughts and tried to describe the scene better. "Anyways, whoever was on these pills were being pulled apart to form these creatures and it looked as if there was gonna be nothing left of these poor people. But then it just stopped. There was this light.. Like a transportation beam and all the creatures started floating up into the sky. There must have been a spaceship nearby!"

"What happened to the people involved?" he asked, expecting the worst.

"Oh no. They were all fine! Absolutely terrified but that didn't stop some of them bragging about their miraculous weight loss! As always they found a way to deny it had even happened." Rose shook her head in bemusement. The human race would never cease to amaze her.

Pete took a second before he dared to ask the one question she had been dreading. "Any sign of the Doctor?"

Rose deflated. "None.. It _must_ have been him though, Dad. I waited for an hour at the scene afterwards for any sign of him but there was nothing."

Then Rose remembered something else.

"No, not nothing. Something happened. Something extraordinary. Someone _saw_ me."

"Actually saw you? How is that possible?" Pete asked.

"It's not supposed to be. Not unless I do something to cause it. But this woman with red hair just ran right up to me. Started talking nonsense. Asked me to point out a bin to a lady who was on her way."

"What happened then?" Pete wanted to know.

"Nothing," Rose admitted glumly. "The shift phased out so I never got to find out who she was. She was important, Dad. I just know it."

"What do you think it means, love?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sound of screams coming from the direction of the kitchen. She looked to Pete in panic and saw the same look of confusion on his face.

**oooooo**

The crowd were gathered out on the patio, sheer terror evident on their faces. Rose looked around for a visible threat but there didn't appear to be one.

She ran straight for her mother. "What is it, Mum? Are you hurt?"

Jackie turned to face her daughter and husband. Wordlessly, she looked up at the sky.

Rose followed her gaze and was greeted by a sight she had seen many times before.

One by one, the stars were going out.

Eventually Jackie found her voice. "What is it, sweetheart? What's happening? And _why_ haven't you changed?"

Rose wanted desperately to reassure her family. To offer some small words of comfort. But she knew what this meant. It was the beginning of the end.

"It's the Darkness," she told them, unable to stop the fear from catching in her throat.

_You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about, half naked. For shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past. And the birds in the sky.. No, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you've flown so far, further than anyone! The things you've seen. The Darkness.. The Big Bad Wolf._

Rose jerked away from the memory, reeling in shock. All that time ago, Gwyneth had known about Bad Wolf. Rose had never realised she had foreseen the Darkness, too.

So whatever was happening now was a fixed point in time. The Doctor was quite drawn to these things. There was some comfort to be taken from that, she supposed.

"Rose?" Pete called out, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I'm alright," she assured him.

"What do we do?" he asked her.

Rose considered all she had done. All she had seen. This time though, there was nothing she could do. This was bigger than all of them.

"I'm sorry. I don't know," she told them honestly.

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**Two chapters in two days!**

**Once again, thanks for reading.. Until next time!**

**xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I'm guilty of wanting to own Doctor Who but unfortunately I don't. **

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Rose arrived at the restaurant early, choosing the table furthest away from public view. Angela Morris had called her earlier that day, requesting they meet up here but it would seem she was running late.

Twenty minutes later the young girl showed up, appearing to be in quite the fluster. She looked around the restaurant before sliding into an empty seat.

Rose stood and beckoned her, attempting to grab her attention but was no use. Angela failed to notice.

_So much for private_, Rose thought. Conceding, she gathered up her things and made her way to Angela's table in the centre of the room.

Angela looked up, sensing her approach. She smiled and gave a friendly wave. "Agent Tyler, hi! I didn't see you come in. Did you get stuck in the same traffic jam as me?"

Rose frowned. Angela was really unobservant today. "I've been sat here for a while, Ange."

"Really?" Something flickered across Angela's face before dismissing it quickly. "It must be me, sorry. It's like I'm on an entirely different planet today! No offence," she added.

"None taken," Rose said with a laugh. "Now what's all this in order of? Why couldn't we have met in my office?"

Angela nodded once, immediately she was all business.

"I couldn't risk this falling into the wrong hands," she told Rose in a serious voice before digging into her handbag. She retrieved an item and laid it on the table between them.

Rose reached out to examine it. "This sort of looks like the button we used to jump between worlds," Rose muttered to herself, flipping the familiar object over in her hand.

"It sort of _is_," Morris agreed.

"But these are all dead. As in _all of them_. Believe me, I've tried." And she had. Rose had tried the yellow discs repeatedly over the past three years, hoping that she could simply take a short-cut to the Doctor. It had been a long shot and the devices remained inactive. To her disappointment, it seemed the walls of the Universe were still firmly in place.

"You're right, they were all dead. Recently I was approached by a couple of people who wanted me to recreate them. They didn't want a replica of the device but requested a newer model, an upgrade with a few modifications," Agent Morris informed her.

Rose wondered where exactly this conversation was going.

"The people who approached me," Angela finally elaborated, "were Mrs Tyler and Mr Smith."

Rose was shocked. "Mum and Mickey asked you to do this? Why would they even _want_ such a thing? They know the damage these things can do."

"As I said," Morris pointed out, "they didn't want the exact same device that was used three years ago, they did ask me to modify them."

"What sort of modifications did they want?" Rose asked.

"Well, they wanted me to install an alert, so they'd know when the walls were breaking down."

Rose was incredulous."They did all this because they were afraid I wouldn't tell them when it time for me to leave?!" This was unbelievable. Of course they deserved an opportunity to say goodbye properly but she was appalled that they had gone to all this effort just to know when she would _leave_.

She waited for Angela to confirm her suspicions but it looked as though the young woman wasn't finished speaking yet.

"There's more?" Rose guessed.

Angela grimaced. "They wanted to be able to measure timelines. _Your_ timeline, to be specific."

"But why?" Rose asked, feeling a deep crease start to form on her forehead.

Angela pretended she hadn't heard, avoiding the question entirely.

"There's one more thing they wanted," she looked up meeting Rose's eyes momentarily. "They requested a thirty minute charge period between jumps."

Then the answer dawned on Rose.

"They think the Doctor is going to send me away again and they don't want me to be able to go back again if he does. They don't believe he'll wait a measly _half_ _an hour_ for me? Do they really think he'd just leave me?"

"Jackie hopes the Doctor will make the right choice and send you back to her again."

"Oh, that's just ridiculous, he's the one who came up with the whole idea! As if he'd do that if he didn't want me."

"Clearly, they don't agree. They think they can stop you before it's too late. And they plan on getting you back if you leave."

"Hold on," Rose said. "I'm not getting this. So my mum and my ex come to you asking you to make this medallion for them, and you just say yes?" Rose was surprised by this. She had always assumed Agent Morris was on her side. Mind you, her own family were apparently sabotaging her plans behind her back..

"I did.," Angela admitted. "I'm sorry, Rose,"

"But why, Ange?"

"The darkness, Rose. It's coming, this intergalactic threat from across the stars. It has no physical form. How are we supposed to fight something that isn't tangible, something that should even exist? None of us at Torchwood know how. Nobody on this world has any experience with anything like this.. Except you. It's selfish, I know but we need you here. We might not have the Doctor but we do have you."

Rose was rendered speechless. Angela was thrusting this authority at her and she didn't want it, not without him. It wasn't that she didn't want to live up to the title he had bestowed upon her. She wanted to be defender of the earth, just not _this_ earth.

She had to make Angela understand. "I can't help any more than you can. I have no idea what we're dealing with here, not the faintest clue what to do. If you're depending on me then I'm sorry but you're wasting your time. It's advancing and the only man who would know how to stop it is dimensions away. If I can't reach him, we're all dead."

"I know," Agent Morris replied. "I just wanted to let you know."

Rose looked at the device in her hands. There was something she was missing here. "Why are you telling me this?"

Angela met her gaze with a faint smile. "Because I did it, that's why. That is the prototype you're holding. The hopper _works_, Rose."

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**Hi guys, sorry it's taken me a while to update.**

**I haven't forgotten about the story, I've just been busy with work and stuff! I've written the next few chapters already but I haven't had a chance to proof-read them yet. Hopefully I'll be updating again soon!**

**What did you think of this chapter? To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with it but it's really late so I just want to get it posted! Sorry if it's crappy. There's good stuff coming, I promise!**

**Thanks for staying with me.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who which is a pity because I really miss Ten and Rose.**

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Rose picked up the small plaque that sat on the desk in front of her, a look of distaste evident on her face. It read: _Dr. Julia Atkinson, Chief Medical Practitioner_. Rose rolled her eyes. As far as she was concerned, this was just a fancy way of saying this woman was _the_ doctor. This particular title did not bode well with her.

Dr. Julia closed the filing cabinet, having located the dossier she was searching for. She glanced at it briefly before turning to take her seat opposite Rose.

"Oh, Miss Tyler," she said, jumping slightly, clearly startled at Rose's sudden presence. "I hope you haven't been waiting long. How are you feeling today?"

Rose was worried by the woman's reaction, something strange was going on and she wasn't quite sure what it was.

This had been happening to her an awful lot lately, people not noticing her. Cashiers would look on as she waited in stores, people would accidentally bump into her on the street, payslips she received had entire days missing at a time when she had, in fact, been working those days. Even her own family would look straight through her sometimes with vacant expressions on their faces.

If she had to guess the cause of it, Rose would have said it was just residual energy left over from wearing the perception filter but having spoken to Angela Morris and been reassured otherwise, that theory didn't make any sense. Angela was convinced Rose was so used to going by unnoticed that she now just wasn't making herself present enough in general. From the sound of it, Morris thought it was intentional on Rose's part.

Rose knew it was more than that. She knew it sounded crazy but at times it was almost as if she didn't _exist_.

"Yeah, fine," Rose told Dr. Atkinson honestly. It was true. Physically, she had never felt better.

Julia referred to her file again, her glasses sliding down her nose at the movement. "You were in last week suffering from light-headedness and you were also having trouble sleeping, is that correct?"

Rose sighed, she did not want to be here. This was a colossal waste of her time, not to mention all _Jackie's_ fault. Having caught Rose asleep at her desk again, Jackie had decided to take 'affirmative action'. This action, however, could not simply be taken at Torchwood where they had specially trained medical staff. No, Rose had to go and see a 'proper doctor'.

"Not exactly, no," Rose corrected, inwardly cursing her mother. "I'm sleeping just fine, it's _staying awake_ that seems to be the problem."

Her nightmares were becoming more and more intense recently, striking her at any moment, often causing her to nod off in the middle of the day.

"Ah, yes." Atkinson jotted something down in Rose's file before asking, "And the light-headedness?"

"I mentioned that once," Rose bluffed. "My mother has a tendency to blow these things out of proportion. Honestly, you should never take what she says seriously. If you diagnosed me as a hypochondriac, she'd ask you to prescribe me something for it!"

Rose laughed a little too enthusiastically, hoping to sell the lie. The truth was she _had_ said she'd been feeling light-headed. It wasn't that she felt unwell but she definitely wasn't feeling herself. It wasn't that Rose felt light-headed exactly, it was more a sensation of floating, in a way. She'd often feel like she was drifting along, in another state of consciousness. It was a surreal, out of body experience. She couldn't seem to recall long periods of time, leaving her unsure of where she had been or what she had been doing during that time.

Julia removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She almost looked to be disappointed as she spoke. "I'm sorry Miss Tyler. I've got the results back and there doesn't appear to _any_ abnormalities."

Rose was impressed. This visit was quicker than she had imagined it would be. "Well there you go then, that's great! Nothing to worry about. I'll be on my way so. Good to see you again." She started to head towards the door, eager to get out of there.

"Your blood levels are all normal," the doctor continued without looking up. Rose reluctantly slumped back to her chair. It didn't look like she'd be getting out of here any time soon after all.

"You're not deficient in iron or any vitamins. You tell me you're getting plenty of sleep. You don't fit the profile for vertigo or anaemia. You're not narcoleptic. You don't think you've been exposed to any toxic chemicals or gases as of late."

She took a long look at Rose, a troubled look on her face.

"This is the first time in thirty years that the only diagnosis I have to offer is a clear bill of health. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you're in the best physical shape of your life."

Rose couldn't figure out what this woman was so upset about. "Then what's the problem?" she asked impatiently.

"Nothing, it would seem and, in a way, that _is_ the problem. Rose, you don't have so much as a paper-cut. Not a bruise or a scratch. Not one calcium spot on your nail."

"Well what's wrong with that?" Rose asked defensively.

"You don't understand. I've been doing this for thirty-four years. Never once have I come across a patient that didn't have so much as a _blemish_."

"I guess I just take good care of myself," Rose joked even though she knew that wasn't remotely true. _Jeopardy friendly_, that's what she was.

"It's not that," Dr. Atkinson looked nervous, like she was trying to confess something. "Miss Tyler, I took your blood last week. I turned around to get a cotton swab to disinfect the puncture wound and by the time I turned back around, I was unable to locate the needle mark again."

"So? You probably just missed it, don't give yourself a hard time, we all make mistakes," Rose allowed. This entire conversation was starting to unnerve her.

"That's not what I'm saying. I was looking directly where it should have been. I'm telling you, the wound was completely _healed_."

Rose sat in silence, she had absolutely no explanation for this. What exactly was this woman implying? Whatever it was, Rose didn't like it.

"I have never seen healing to be so accelerated before. It simply isn't possible," Julia muttered under her breath. The way she was staring at her made Rose uneasy. It was like she was an equation that couldn't be solved. No, it was more like she was an equation that shouldn't _exist_ to begin with.

"Anyway," Rose said in a bright voice, trying to lighten the mood. "So, you're telling me that I'm a freak. That your only diagnosis is it, doc?"

Dr. Atkinson cleared her throat, obviously trying to bring herself back down to reality. "Often, when we are under mental strain, that pressure can also take it's toll on us physically. If this was any other patient I would say the apparent lack of symptoms would indicate a psychological issue as opposed to a medical one. Your mother tells me you've been working a lot, is it possible that you're a little bit run down? Perhaps your sleeping problem is due to stress. I can prescribe you something to boost your energy levels. That might help you to stay awake."

There was an awkward silence before Dr. Atkinson said in a suggestive tone "_Or_.."

Rose suddenly became very uncomfortable. This could not be happening. She got the distinct impression the doctor would just _love_ to conduct an experiment on her.

Sure enough Atkinson didn't disappoint her. "Miss Tyler, how would you feel about-"

"Don't even think about it," Rose said a little bit too loudly. "You're not _hacking_ me up so you can stop looking at me like that for starters! You'd swear I was bloody diseased or somethin'.."

"It wouldn't be anything invasive," the doctor promised. "We could put you under a general anaesthetic. You needn't even be awake for the procedure."

"I said _no_," Rose told her firmly. "I'm not an animal and I'm not bleedin' contaminated.."

Rose was unable to finish the thought, her mind completely wrapped up by a single word.

_You'll know when it's ready. You should be classed as a contaminate and this reality will start to force you out, via the breach. I can't say more, there's no time. I wish I could. I'm sorry._

So there it was, the reason. She was contaminated. That could only mean one thing.

It was finally time.

Rose barely took the time to register Dr. Atkinson's perplexed expression before she sprinted from the room.

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**I have the next two chapters written so I'll probably upload both at the same time.. ****In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this one.**

**I'm a bit worried about the lack of feedback I've been getting. Without any, it's hard to know if anyone is actually enjoying the story. ****If I know there's a demand for the story, I'll be sure to make updating my priority. At the moment, it's hard to motivate myself.**

**Thanks for everyone who is sticking with it. Love you all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of it's characters.**

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You might think after almost four years in a parallel world that Rose Tyler would have forgotten how to run. You would be wrong.

The wind whipped past her face and despite the urgency of the situation, she was ecstatic as she tore down the street. Oh, how she had _missed_ this!

Rose didn't know how much time she had left but she would guess it wasn't much. She had to get to her family, had to tell them it was time.

After all this time, the Universes had finally seen fit to reunite them. She could hardly contain her excitement as the prospect.

Her feet propelled her forward as she passed through the crowded streets.

As she rounded a corner, her thoughts returned once more to her family. Would her they be happy for her? She certainly hoped so. They had all found their own place in this Universe, after all. It was only fair that she get her share of happiness and forever too.

Would they just willingly let her go? Well, that was another matter entirely.

It was only when she reached the entrance to the Tyler's grand stately home that Rose finally felt the need to pause and catch her breath. She was leaning up against a pillar for a moments rest when she felt a familiar sensation pass over her, more intense than ever before.

The feeling coursed through her veins before separating and pulling in an outward direction. Rose felt as if everything she was, her very being, her very _soul_, was being stretched from her body.

However, she knew that it was really being pulled from this _world_.

Since there was no physical pain to speak of, Rose didn't see it as an unpleasant experience. In a way her mind was already floating above it. Safe from harm, she was watching from up high. She was outside of her body yet still completely _aware_ as to what was happening. It was truly bizarre.

This was it, she was so close now.

Rose had been close before though, back in Van Statten's museum, back in Canary Wharf. She would not let go too early ever again, she vowed. A split second was all it took. She had to see her family, had to say goodbye before she let this feeling fully take her over.

She attempted to get her mind and body to connect once more, forcing her legs to move again, her desperation spurring her onwards.

Bursting through the door, she found herself in the Tyler's kitchen although she didn't quite remember how exactly she had made it there.

Pete was deep in conversation with Mickey while Jackie was attempting to persuade Tony to eat something that looked suspiciously like boiled spinach. All eyes turned to the doorway at the sound of her entrance.

"Rose, what's the matter darlin'?" Jackie asked in alarm, her face white with the shock at the sight of her only daughter in such a state.

Rose let out a sigh of relief. She had done it. There was still time.

"Hello," she greeted them, a warm smile spreading across her face as she prepared to tell them everything when, all of a sudden, something went very badly wrong.

The separation became physical and Rose found that she could _feel _everything.

The pain became unbearable as the voice of the Beast rang through her ears.

_You shall die and I shall live._

There was a blinding flash of bright, golden light, a scream and an incredible, excruciating pulling sensation.

When the Tyler's looked up, Rose was nowhere to be seen.

**oOoOoOoOo**

The first thing Rose became aware of was the cold, hard concrete underneath where she now lay.

The second was the sound of screams as lasers shot through the clear night sky.

The third was the blue lights of an ambulance, rushing past her before coming to a halt just around the corner.

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**Firstly can I just say how amazing you all are? I honestly thought nobody was enjoying the story and that I should just call it quits. Thank you ALL so much for your belief in me.**

**This chapter is just a quick one. There is a longer one being updated tomorrow, I promise! I'm just too tired to check it right now!**

**Let me know your thoughts on this one in the meantime. Was it sloppy because it was so rushed? I really wanted it to be a simple chapter to lead us into the next one but maybe it was too simple.. What did you think of Rose's illness? Let me know.**

**Until tomorrow!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine.**

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Rose Tyler was running, her heavy boots pounding against the ground. Her legs carried her faster than they ever had before yet she felt as if the road was pulling away from under her, like she was hardly moving at all. As she approached the scene, UNIT personnel were beginning to disperse. A few stray civilians were milling about, eager to find out what was going on. It wasn't what she had seen that unnerved her, rather what she _hadn't_ seen.

There was no sign of the Doctor.

By the time she reached the cordoned off area, the ambulance that had alerted her was already starting to drive away at speed. Rose had the strangest feeling she should be following it. It was almost as if something was pulling her towards it.

"What happened? What did they find?" Rose asked, coming to a halt and blindly reaching out for the closest person to her. She was desperate for any sort of information, rumour or no. Fear was now settled deep in the pit of her stomach. "Sorry, did they find someone?"

"I don't know," a woman informed her. "A bloke called the Doctor or something."

"Well, where is he?" Rose said, wheeling around again. Her gaze landed on the spot the ambulance had just vacated. Had UNIT taken him back to their base for questioning? She could easily find that out.

Her eyes surveyed the scene intensely. Had she overlooked him? If he hadn't been dressed in his familiar pinstriped suit, she could simply have missed him. It was true that he did occasionally favour a tux. Rose doubted that she hadn't recognised him. It couldn't be that, she would know him anywhere, no matter what.

The dread filled her as a third possibility entered into the equation. How long had it been since he had last seen her? Not that the Doctor obeyed linear time. Once or twice he had even referred to it as a 'ball of timey-whimey stuff.' It occurred to Rose that she didn't even know _when_ it time she was. What was the equivalent to her parallel world's present-day? Could she also have travelled in _time_? Rose could hardly allow herself to hope. Even if it _was_ close to the date they had lost each other, it didn't necessarily mean that time had progressed in such a way.

Regardless, the answer didn't really matter, it would still be long enough for something to have happened to him. Something bad. What if he had nobody to hold his hand, to help him accomplish the impossible, to tell him when enough was enough? What if he had needed help and regenerated again, all on his own? He had nearly died last time, could he handle regeneration sickness a second time?

Would she still know him if he had changed? Rose tried to convince herself that the bond they shared was based on more than a physical appearance, it ran deeper than that. Their connection was far, far more significant. Yes, she would know him, of course she would. Her feelings for him hadn't changed but what if _he_ had? But would he still want her?

"They took him away," the woman explained with a small inclination of her head, interrupting Rose's destructive thought pattern. "He's dead."

Rose felt the world beneath her give way and begin to crumble. Her blood ran cold and she found her arms were suddenly extremely heavy, even though she held nothing in them. She stared into the stranger's eyes for a long moment, willing her words to mean anything other than what she had actually said.

The woman remained silent.

Suffering from a sudden case of claustrophobia, Rose took a few unsteady paces forward, needing a moment out of the immediate area. Her head was reeling from this revelation and her thoughts were lacking in any sense. A feeling of numbness accompanied every step she took, spreading until Rose wasn't sure she could feel anything at all any more.

The Doctor was gone? This couldn't be true, there was just no way that was possible. She must have heard wrong, this woman must have the wrong information, anything except that. The Doctor wouldn't end like this. She had seen him him do the most incredible, impossible things without so much as breaking a sweat. He was a genius, no he was fantastic. What's more, he was a Time Lord, they didn't simply _die_.. Did they?

He couldn't have died alone. If he died on his own, Rose had failed both herself and him.

"I'm sorry, did you know him?" the stranger asked in a soft voice.

Rose was struck by the question. Did she know him? She struggled to align her thoughts in order to define what exactly the Doctor _was_ to her. He was her best friend. No, because he meant more to her than that. He was the love of her life, her protector, her saviour. He was the oncoming storm, the stuff of legend. He was the impossible, _brilliant_ man who had shown her the true meaning of life, of death, of love. He had complete control over her heart and emotions and yet, somehow, this made her stronger. He had made her better in every way.

"I mean, they didn't say his name," the woman offered kindly "It could be any doctor."

Rose felt the sick urge to laugh at the notion. As if he could ever be compared to another. The man was the very last of his race and even if he wasn't, Rose had no doubt that he'd still be completely unique. If there was anyone like him she wouldn't have had to cross entire dimensions just to find him.

Rose opened her mouth to explain to the woman that she was in love with an impossible alien from another planet. A man with two hearts who travelled throughout time and space in a magical machine. Someone who was over nine hundred years old that could change his face when he was about to die. An alien who had saved the human race and hundreds of others races countless times without even pausing for the feat to be acknowledged.

Yes, Rose could tell this woman unbelievable stories about the Doctor but even the most spectacular things paled in comparison to the reality of him and Rose found herself at a loss of what to say.

"I came so far," was all she could whisper.

"I-It could be anyone," the woman continued to stammer behind her. Rose felt a gentle hand on her arm. She was touched by this stranger who was still trying so hard to reassure her.

Rose turned around, trying to push the unfathomable grief from her mind so that she could thank this woman for her sweetness. She looked at the woman. Rose took note of her pale complexion, her vibrant red hair.

It was only then that her brain started functioning again. It finally processed the image and she realised she was seeing this woman for a _second_ time. She'd encountered her weeks before while on a jump. Rose had met her on Earth.

This confirms it, Rose thought to herself. She had done it, this was definitely Earth. She was home. And that meant the Doctor had been here. That he was most definitely dead.

Yet here was this same woman, standing in front of her, for the second time.

"What's your name?" she asked the red-headed woman curiously.

"Donna," the woman replied, still trying to ease Rose's pain. "And you?"

What was she supposed to say to that? If this was present-day Earth, that meant her name had long been associated with the Doctor's. If Rose Tyler had been declared dead in this Universe, she couldn't use that name. The wrong words here could bring a world of trouble in their wake. She amended the thought upon realising she was now completely alone, it could bring a lot of trouble in _her_ wake.

"Oh, I was just passing by. I shouldn't even be here. This is wrong," Rose tried to explain flippantly but something caught her eye, a flash of movement that came from directly behind Donna.

There was something on her back.

"This is wrong. This is so wrong," Rose repeated, craning her neck to get a better look at whatever the object was. Just at that moment she caught sight of a metallic pincer and realised it wasn't an object, it was a _creature_. And wrong it was.

Rose knew she had to keep this woman talking until she could get a proper look at the thing. "Sorry, what was it-Donna what?"

Donna was having none of it. Her eyes narrowed as she looked suspiciously at Rose. "Why do you keep looking at my back?"

"I'm not," Rose muttered guiltily, shifting her own eyes nervously from Donna's back. She hadn't realised she was being so obvious. Was Rose losing her touch or was this woman just incredibly sharp? In her current state, unable to clear the thick fog-like weight from her mind, it probably wasn't a good idea to get drawn into this particular conversation with Donna. She would only end up letting something slip.

"Yes, you are," Donna insisted. "You keep looking behind me. You're doing it now. What is it, what's there?" Donna twisted in an attempt to see whatever Rose had been staring at. "Did someone put something on my back?"

And while Donna's back was turned Rose took the opportunity to disappear. She swiftly slipped the perception filter onto her finger and stepped back into the shadows. She crouched behind a nearby car and held her breath. Hopefully this time the filter would work on Donna.

Sure enough, by some miracle, when Donna turned back around, Rose was essentially gone.

Whatever Donna had been about to say died in her throat. She took one more confused look around her and slowly turned back the way Rose had come.

Rose emerged from her hiding spot and watched as Donna walked back down the street. She was disappointed to find that she couldn't identify the creature that now sat squarely on her back. A creature that Donna had no idea existed.

She shuddered in fear for the mysterious red-headed woman. Whatever that thing was, Rose had no doubt that it was dangerous. She needed the Doctor. He'd know exactly what to do.

The life drained out of her at the thought of him. She sank to the curb, burying her face in her hands. What was she supposed to do now? She had come all this way after all these years. Everything she had done to get here, she had sacrificed so much and for what? The Doctor was dead, her family were entire dimensions away with no idea where she currently was and the unstoppable Darkness was coming across the galaxies to destroy everything.

Rose raised her head. She gazed up at the still-existent stars, willing the Universe to give her the strength to persevere. There was so much work to be done but she couldn't even motivate herself to get up from the pavement.

That's when she caught a glimpse of it, the quickest flash of blue and steel that had offered her hope so many times in the past, lying in the middle of the road.

The beacon of hope that was the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

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******Allowing all the timelines to run simultaneously = Headaches!**

**Just to clarify: the Doctor first met Donna directly after saying goodbye to Rose. So that means that the Doctor in this chapter died under the Thames soon after losing her, even though it had been years in Rose's Universe!**

**What do you all think? I am reading every review so please let me know your thoughts, good or bad! Is this incomprehensible nonsense or have I succeeded in simplifying it? **

**I really enjoyed writing this one!**

**Until next time..**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. This is solely an outlet for my over-active imagination.**

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If there was one thing Rose knew she ought to be curious about, it was a locked door. Having snuck into UNIT's base in search of answers earlier that evening, she found herself in front of such a door now. She knew she could always continue her search, try and find something that _didn't_ require breaking and entering but the temptation was taunting her and she couldn't resist. UNIT was a high security facility after all. If there was something hidden within its' confines, it was something worth knowing about.

Peering round, she was somewhat disappointed to find the corridor was vacant. If whatever was in this room was so poorly guarded, perhaps it wasn't worth investigating after all. But the curiosity was burning and a voice in her head kept pushing her towards it.

_Not gonna open it. I'm not going to open it,_ she chanted to herself, although she had learned long ago that this mantra didn't work.

Rose sighed, the urge to look was just too strong. Besides, she didn't like half measures. She had already _entered_ the building so technically the breaking was all that was left to do. Convincing herself that it would be bad luck _not_ to follow through, she removed the perception filter and withdrew the sonic screwdriver. Trying to remain discreet, she pointed the sonic at the keypad beside the door, hoping that she wasn't about to resonate concrete in the walls instead.

Thankfully, there was a small hissing sound, followed by a wisp of smoke. Seconds later the keypad sparked and the door clicked open. She stood back to inspect her work, shaking her head, the Doctor had never been this destructive when opening doors.

Rose let herself into the room only to discover it was bathed in darkness. She ran her hand along the wall in search of the light-switch. Failing to locate it, she pulled the sonic out again, trying to recall which setting turned on the lights. _59B_ sounded about right.

Rose was just trying setting _35D_ when she heard the footsteps approaching. Ceasing the sonic's whirring, she crept forward and listened instead.

"I don't know why I'm even helping you," a hushed voice came from outside the door. "This goes against everything I've been trained for. Not to mention it breaks every rule. If I'm caught-"

"I just want to see it," the second man insisted in a low persuasive tone before continuing, "The risk of getting caught, that's what makes life so exciting, don't you think?"

When the other man didn't respond, he sighed impatiently. "Oh, come on Ross, live a little bit, eh?"

"Someone's been in here," Ross announced in a dark voice. Rose had a bad feeling her earlier handiwork had just been discovered.

"You're in the wrong line of work, detective. What gave it away, surely not the vandalism?" the second man asked with a barking laugh.

Ross, however, did not appear to appreciate the humour. Rose knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to search the room for an intruder.

Sure enough, the door swung open to reveal the outline of both men, their forms lit only by the light that came from the corridor.

Rose stepped away slowly, silently praying that the men wouldn't actually _enter_ the room to investigate the disturbance. She fumbled in her pocket for the perception filter but was surprised to find she had backed into something solid. She jumped at the unexpected contact, causing the filter to slip through her fingers and land on the ground with an audible clattering sound.

The noise must have alerted the men because both silhouettes straightened at once.

"Who's in here?" came the authoritative voice from the doorway. "This area is restricted. Show yourself at once."

_Great. Now I'm literally up against a wall,_ Rose thought wryly.

She quickly considered her options and found there were very few. Her neck and chest flushed with heat, even though she wasn't all that embarrassed to have been caught here.

She could bluff it by pretending to be a specialist or something. She had fallen back on this alibi countless times in the past and she had more than enough jargon in her arsenal to back it up. Although, considering she was alone in the dark, without any psychic paper or the faintest clue why she was even _in_ this room, she probably wouldn't be all that convincing. All she could claim to be was a specialist of darkness, Rose thought coyly, grinning at the irony.

She could lie. Claim that she got lost, that she had no idea where she was. She could pretend that she had stumbled into this room, whilst in search of the toilet. The blatant evidence of her tampering outside was pretty damning, however.

Or, she could tell the truth. Admit who she was and why she was here. Hope that these people co-operated with her. The Doctor had mentioned that he had worked with UNIT before. Now he was dead. It was entirely possible that they would help her out of reverence to him. After all, he had saved this planet numerous times.

The man must have mistaken her delayed reaction for a hostile threat. Rose saw his form begin to draw a weapon from his holster.

"Hold on, Ross. Give the poor lad a chance before you decide to go shooting him," the taller man said. He had quite a distinct accent, Rose noted.

"It's Greyhound 40," Ross corrected him but he did lower his weapon again before addressing Rose. "Who are you, Sir?"

Rose decided that honesty was the best policy in this instance. This was as good a chance as any. After all, this was probably the only way she would get any answers. She stood a little taller.

"I'm _Miss_ Rose Tyler," she admitted. "As in female. Recent companion to the Doctor, defender of the Earth and eater of chips. And you gentlemen are?"

There was no reaction from either man.

_Charming_, she thought.

The sensation of heat was getting rather uncomfortable now. She placed a hand on her chest and identified the TARDIS key as the source of the problem. The metal must have been reacting to her body temperature, acting as a conductor and raising the heat of it.

"Nice try," came the quiet response from the second man, accusation colouring his words. "But I think you'll find that Rose Tyler is dead."

"Well damn, I guess I missed that memo. And here was me thinking I was just missing," she joked. This is what she got for telling the truth then, the same reaction she always got; Lies, accusations, threats and questions. It was a wonder she didn't do it more often when it was just so _pleasant_.

The taller of the two men crossed the room and came to a halt beside Rose. His face was almost completely cloaked in darkness, save the white flash of his eyes. Rose got the impression he was scrutinizing her. There was something extremely familiar about his presence that she just couldn't put her finger on.

"Ross, switch on the lights," the man ordered.

Of all the men in the Universe Rose had expected to see when the lights flickered on, Captain Jack Harkness was not one of them. Yet here she stood, face to face with a man who she had long assumed was dead.

"Rose?" he asked in a shaky voice. By the look of it, he wasn't remotely prepared for this meeting either.

"Hello," she said, trying to sound confident. She might have succeeded too, had her voice not cracked and betrayed her.

"But.. You're dead," Jack pressed.

"Since when does missing equals dead?" Rose asked with a frustrated sigh. "Anyway, you can talk! The Doctor told me you were alive but when he refused to go back for you, spinning some line about you rebuilding the Earth, I thought he was just lying to make me feel better."

Rose frowned, the events of that day replaying in her mind. At least the ones she could remember. This just didn't add up.

"Jack, don't get me wrong, I'm _so_ happy to see you, especially now. I just don't understand. You were facing the Daleks before I ever came back with the TARDIS. You were literally the last line of defence and, seeing as they were already in the room with the Doctor by the time I arrived, I assume they slaughtered everyone else on the Game Station. How is it even _possible_ that you survived?"

Jack's eyes darkened, some unidentifiable emotion burning behind them. He looked a lot older than when she had seen him last, Rose noticed, although he didn't appear to have aged a single day. Yet there was something ancient hidden in his eyes, something in the set of his mouth, like he was old beyond his years. It reminded her of the Doctor but he, at least, had almost a thousand years of memories to account for his hurt while Jack.. Jack was the most easy going person she had ever known. What could possibly have caused him such pain?

Jack shrugged. "It's a long story, kid. I'll fill you in later, I don't know how much of it you know already. Heck, I don't know the whole story myself! I'm just an impossible thing, Rose."

"It's a good thing I stopped believing in impossible a long time ago," Rose said, nudging him with her elbow.

He looked at her for a long moment before breaking into a massive grin and pulling her in for a hug.

"God, it's good to see you!" Almost immediately, he pulled away from her. "Gosh, Tyler. Everything all right? You're burning up."

Jack was right, the intensity of the heat was too much now. Something was beginning to burn straight into her flesh. Reaching underneath her shirt, she pulled the TARDIS key out. She was only able to hold it for the briefest of seconds before she was forced to drop it.

Rose knew she had previously dismissed the word but this truly was impossible. That key had remained cold for almost four years, ever since she had been sucked into the parallel world, but it was most certainly scorching now.

Why on Earth would it react now? Was it the close proximity to Jack? It had never reacted to him before.

She met Jack's wide eyes, both of them trying to make sense of it.

Ross pointed a shaking finger at the floor. "What exactly is that key for? And why is it glowing?"

_Glowing_? Rose looked down. The key was indeed glowing, a pulsing golden light emanated from it. A light that _almost_ looked like regeneration energy.

Jack crouched down and wrapped the end of his trench coat around the key. Frowning, he also picked up a tarnished ring and stowed it in his pocket.

"Jack, this has gone too far," Ross said, becoming Greyhound 40 again. "I have no idea who this woman is, or what she means to you. She claims she travelled with the Doctor. We will need to detain her until we can determine whether she's telling the truth or not. For all we know, she could be involved in his death."

"Oh, fantastic. Nothing like a night in the cells to revive the senses!" Rose muttered. Although she was hurt by the accusation, she also felt quite sorry for the man, he was obviously frightened.

Jack laughed but managed to disguise it as a cough. He spared a moment to wink at Rose.

"I couldn't agree more, Greyhound 40. This woman is clearly a menace. Detained, you say? Darn, would you believe it's the _one time_ I don't have my handcuffs handy? Still, it's probably for the best. That there looks pretty secure," Jack said, nodding towards something behind them.

Rose whirled around and was greeted by the most impressive, beautiful sight she had seen in years.

Towering above her read the words _Police Public Call Box. _

As Rose took in the ships' entirety, tears welled in her eyes. She lightly pressed her forehead against the warm grain of the blue wood and was flooded with an overwhelming sense of homecoming.

"Oh boys," she said, the brightest of smiles breaking across her face. "You really shouldn't have." She flashed Ross a cheeky grin before she and Jack slipped into the TARDIS.

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**I'm reading all the reviews, although I don't always remember to reply to them! You're all fantastic! Thanks so much.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who.**

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Rose and Jack stumbled into the TARDIS before collapsing against the reverse of the door. Rose was pleased to discover that her fit of laughter was genuine, it had been a while since she had felt at ease enough to laugh.

The sight that greeted them effectively put a halt to that joy, however. Something was terribly wrong.

The majestic TARDIS looked eerily drained. Instead of it's usual proud coral and golden glow, the ship was now under a cloak of darkness. All of its lights seemed to be dead. There were no soft noises in the background, no presence in her mind, no translating, no telepathy. The filtration system must have failed, leaving the air cold and heavy. There didn't appear to be any life on-board whatsoever.

Rose sobered, immediately running towards the console.

"What's wrong?" she asked the ship affectionately, placing a gentle hand on an organic coral strut.

The TARDIS used all of it's energy to thrum faintly underneath her palm. The motion sent chills down Rose's spine.

"What do you think is wrong with it?" Jack wondered, aware that he was voicing aloud Rose's own concerns.

It struck Rose that Jack considered the TARDIS gender neutral, as she herself did. She used to refer to the ship as female, a habit picked up from the Doctor, he had so often referred to the ancient ship that way.

Ever since the Game Station though, things had changed between Rose and the TARDIS. Their dynamic had remained the same but it was almost as if she was more connected to the sentient ship afterwards. Identifying it as solely female just hadn't felt right. She had even tried using his endearment of o_ld girl_ but it had never come naturally to her. The ship was something more, which made sense. It may have grown but it still originated from Gallifrey, essentially making it Time Lord technology. Just like the Time Lords themselves, it was interchangeable.

She absent-mindedly stroked the console, remembering when she used to mock him for doing the same thing. Now she understood. Nothing felt more real, or more important than this. The ship was the only thing tethering her to the Earth. The TARDIS was everything and yet, somehow, right now it was nothing.

Rose had always viewed the ship as her home, the only constant at the centre of the Universes. But now.. It was as if the TARDIS had shut down. The ship was alive but without his connection, it had no reason to continue. It was dying.

Rose was racked with regret. If only she had come straight to UNIT after talking to Donna that night, she might have been in time to prevent this. Instead she had let his loss get the better of her and hauled herself up in a B&B for near on two weeks. Jackie needn't have feared for her daughter's humanity. After everything she had seen, Rose Tyler had dealt with grief in the most human way.

"I think it's dying," Rose answered morosely, answering Jack's earlier question. She couldn't help remembering the Doctor's reaction when the ship had died in Pete's world, his heartbroken expression when they had lost it on that impossible planet below a black hole. The TARDIS was all he had, literally the only thing, he had said. Rose was almost relieved he couldn't see the state it was in now. Almost.

"Well, why are we standing here? Let's get to work, just like old times!" Jack went about pulling the gauze up from the floor.

Rose stood motionless. What was the point? Even if they managed to save the ship now, they couldn't bring back the Doctor. Everything had it's time and everything ends. The TARDIS, glorious as it was, was no exception. It didn't seem to be putting up a fight. Perhaps they should leave it to die in peace.

"Don't Jack. He wouldn't want that."

Jack stopped his tinkering. "Give up? That's not like you, Rosie. Who died and made you such a party pooper?"

His eyes widened, as the realisation of what he had said sank in. It was rare to see Jack flustered, yet here he was awkwardly trying to apologise. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I mean obviously I know _what's_ wrong and who is dead-"

"It's okay Jack. Don't worry about it really. Life goes on and all that," she told him numbly, putting him out of his agony.

"That's exactly my point, though," Jack said. "Life goes on but I've never seen you like this. It's like you've given up. What happened to the girl who stared into the _time vortex_ _itself_ just so she could be reunited with the man she loved? Speaking of life going on, you're supposed to be as good as dead, locked away in some parallel Earth. Care to explain how you came to be in this Universe?"

Rose didn't answer. How could she even begin to describe it? She couldn't tell that tale, not right now.

"That's _my_ point Jack. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS to _save_ him, to get _back_ to him. There is no one to be reunited with now. He's dead, the Doctor is dead. He doesn't have that chance of survival any more, he's already gone. He died, all by himself. I already let him down, the least I can do now is respect his wishes."

"Which were? Rose, we weren't there at the end. We can't speak to what he would have wanted if he died."

"Actually, I can," Rose told him.

"You talked about him dying?" Jack supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Underneath all their light-hearted antics was quite the serious relationship. Those two had been a couple, even if they hadn't admitted it to each other, or even to themselves.

"It was here, before I went back to Satellite 5," Rose told him honestly. "It wasn't a conversation as such. It was a recording, like an automatic protocol on what to do in the event of his death." Rose sighed, trying to dismiss the painful memories that burned in the front of her mind. She had more than enough experience dealing with the Doctor in holographic form than she would care to admit.

"Rose," Jack pressed. "What did he say?" He wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"He wanted me to abandon the TARDIS, let it gather dust, become some old relic that nobody could access. A forgotten blue box on a street corner somewhere."

"And?" Rose closed her eyes tightly. Jack seemed determined to hear this, even though it was blatantly hurting her to recall it.

"He told me to have a fantastic life," Rose choked out. "He was dying and all he wanted was for _my_ life to go on without him. That s_tupid_ man!" She resisted the urge to kick the TARDIS console in anger. A display of rash behaviour such as that wouldn't help anyone. At least that's what she was trying to convince herself.

Jack went to console her but Rose was busy looking at something on the grating behind him.

"He has a hand in a jar. Of course he does," Rose laughed, pointing it out to Jack. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know. She had seen so many disgusting things on board this ship that she regretted ever questioning. Knowing him, at some stage he had probably licked that hand.

"That's mine!" Jack sounded a little put out.

"_Yours_?" Rose looked down. Jack definitely still had both his hands.

"Yeah, mine. Well, technically it's his but finders keepers and all that. We have _so_ much catching up do." Jack grinned.

The TARDIS groaned slightly and Rose felt a presence she hadn't experienced in years. The TARDIS was in her mind. The light telepathy urged her towards the monitor. Rose's forehead creased at the sudden, invasive contact but she obliged nonetheless.

The monitor screen flickered to life. Soon images were flashing before her eyes, information filling her mind. Donna appearing on the TARDIS. Donna Noble underneath the Thames, shouting to the Oncoming Storm, telling him it was time to stop. Donna Noble's brave face as, together, they pressed a handle down, surrounded by lava and destruction. The Doctor and Donna's converging timelines. Single heartbeats. Donna Noble, touching the jar that Jack currently held. A second Doctor in a blue suit. Donna Noble pushing buttons. The screams of the Daleks. Donna Noble saving twenty seven planets. Donna Noble begging the Doctor not to wipe her mind. The Doctor apologising over and over to her unconscious form limp in his arms.

The screen flashed one final time and Rose was surprised to find herself on-screen. It took her a moment to recognise floor 500 of the Game Station. It was surreal to watch herself engulfed in golden rays. All she had heard at the time was singing.

_I can see everything.. All that is. All that was. All that ever could be_. Rose heard herself say in a haunting, yet beautiful voice.

"Is this the all that ever could be part?" Jack asked dryly, although he too was in awe of what he was seeing.

Rose couldn't answer. Something was missing here, something big. The TARDIS was trying to tell her something.

And then it all clicked together.

"It's not the future," Rose started, turning the words over on her tongue. "What if it's all that ever _was_?"

Jack simply blinked. "Come again?" he asked.

"What if it's _not_ the all that ever is or ever could be. What if it's the all that ever _was_?" Rose emphasised, hoping Jack would understand.

"Woah, girl. Slow down there. This isn't making any sense," Jack tried to tell her but it was too late. Rose had a hunch and, Sarge or no Sarge, she was going to follow it up.

"No, Jack," she insisted. "But what if _this_, all of this, everything underneath your feet, the sky, the birds, the trees, what if they're something else? What if _this_ isn't real?"

"What are you saying?"

"What if this isn't reality as we know it? What if this _isn't_ my Universe, or even another parallel world. What if this has been created around _Donna_, and I only ended up here by chance? I have seen the TARDIS die before, of course I have, in Pete's world. It wouldn't just die, it's stronger than that! It's the Universe _around_ us that's wrong!"

"And what about me? How did I get here?" Jack could hardly bring himself to ask. He didn't like the direction of Rose's thoughts.

"You're real," Jack looked relieved at this news before Rose finished her sentence "But you're only real in _this_ Universe. You _are_ Captain Jack Harkness but you're not the Jack I'm looking for. God only knows what effect your existence is having on him in reality. I have to get back. If I get back earlier, maybe I can stop the Doctor from ever coming here!"

"Rose, this is absurd. You just told me, I'm real," Jack informed her but it was no use. Rose Tyler was no longer listening. Now that she had voiced the theory out loud, she knew it had to be true.

"I've got to stop it," she was muttering. "Get out of this Universe and back to the Doctor, he might still be alive there! And Donna, she's the key. If this is all happening in her head, we just have to wake her up."

Rose shuddered as she remembered Donna pleading with the Doctor. She had wanted so badly to stay with him, to spend her human life on-board the TARDIS. Rose had to make that happen. "We can't let Donna Noble's mind get wiped. I have to save her."

"Rose!" Jack yelled. She paused her frantic planning and turned to him. The betrayal was written all over his face.

"Tell me. What happens to me if this plan of yours works?"

Rose realised what he was asking, the price she was paying. He would have to be sacrificed. "Reality as you know it gets ripped apart," she admitted in a small voice.

"You're basing my entire existence on a hunch!" he snarled.

"No, Jack, because it's not just a hunch. You won't die, not really. You'll be alive in the proper Universe, maybe this one will still exist too. I promise you this isn't just a hunch, it's something else, something more. It's not hope, it's not even love."

"So what is it then? What's worth _killing_ me for?"

Rose stared at him. Jack Harkness had been willing to fight off a fully-fledged army of Daleks single-handedly but _this_ man was terrified. He had every right to be but it just further confirmed Rose's theory: This man was not the real Captain Jack.

"I guess you could call it faith, Jack but really it's belief. Because if there's one thing I believe in, across every single Universe, it's him."

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**I'm sorry that it's taking me a while between updates. I know it's hard to believe seeing as the final edits are so basic but it really is a nightmare to get these chapters to add up exactly to what happened in the show. For every sentence that gets penned here, five alternates have been rejected.**

**What did you think? Am I updating regularly enough? Does the story make sense? If you have doubts or questions, just leave a comment and I'll be happy to explain my thoughts.**

**Until next time xx**


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